Outside the Walls
by Bakubear
Summary: If memories can be erased with a simple brainwashing, who says the past is what we think?


**AN**: Yeah, this is the product of me attempting to slash the Earth King the moment I saw him, and realizing that Lu Ten might have been around his age, but more importantly was also around Ba Sing Se. Then I reasoned with my mind, eager to stop the cracksane ship, that Kuei had never even been outside the palace before, as said by his older self!

'Screw canon,' my mind had replied vehemently, 'He could have been brainwashed! You saw what they did to Jet! Who's to say that Long Feng didn't just erase Kuei's memories?'

And thus I gave in to my mind, and this short drabble- which is most likely not going to be made into a story- was born.

Enjoy. :B

**Disclaimer**: Sadly, I do not own Avatar. If I did, there would be a bit more slash, and after being rejected by Zuko so many times, Jet would eventually end up with either Azula or Ty Lee. 8D

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_ "Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death." - Anonymous_

In Ba Sing Se, there were two walls, protecting the city's residents from the harmful outside-world. The first, and closest to the city - more specifically, closest to the lower ring - was the inner-wall, which was pretty well guarded. Then further out, quite a bit of distance from the inner wall was the appropriately named outer wall. Currently, Kuei was heading towards that.

Somehow, he had managed to sneak out of the palace - his hair down, and donned in slightly lower-class garments, so as to hide who he really was. He wanted.. no, _needed_ to see what was outside the palace! It was amazing heading through Ba Sing Se's city, with the large variety of people, but it had felt still like a cage. Like he was one of those Rabbaroo he had seen in the zoo, isolated from everyone else.

His advisor would chide him greatly if managed to find out he was missing. Kuei was hoping - a vain, and nearly impossible hope - that he wouldn't even find out.

He followed a mass of people - merchants, it looked like - who were exiting the city, blending in with his middle class clothes. They seemed oddly tense, for some reason Kuei couldn't determine. As if they were walking to their death.

Though, really, so far, so good. No one had pointed him out as the Earth King, and for that he was grateful.

Of course, Kuei should have known that whenever anyone thinks that things are going well really means that they are going to be doomed soon. In Kuei's case, it wasn't any different.

Right as he - in the middle of the group, attempting to hide as much as possible - exited the wall, there was a crash.

Not of the Earth, as if from an Earthbender who had a bit of a training accident. No, it seemed to descend from the sky, falling like a meteor.

He vaguely heard screams, though he wasn't sure if they were his or the others'.

There was a quick searing burst of heat that seemed to radiate not far from Kuei. Then there was nothing except darkness, and maybe that was for the best.

* * *

Lu Ten sighed, and guardedly walked up to the mass of Earth Nation citizens that had been hit. It wasn't his favourite job - he really didn't like being here in the first place, in all honesty - but it had to be done. Besides, it was what his father wanted him to do, and it helped his nation.

It was very rare for actual people to be hit by the flaming projectiles, but it had happened a few times before. Of course, all the other times it had been his and a few others' job to look for survivors.

There had been none.

Soon, they had just decided to let Lu Ten go alone. 'After all', the others had said with a grim chuckle, 'It's not like corpses will put up much of a fight.'

He arrived at the scene, glancing around to make sure that Earth Kingdom soldiers weren't just waiting to ambush him. And, like always, they weren't. It seemed they had complete and utter faith that the walls would hold, and didn't mind Fire Nation soldiers to just walk right up to them.

For the most part, they were right. It would take nothing less than an incredibly powerful machine to breech the area, which was exactly what the Fire Nation army lacked. Currently, it seemed as if they were at a stand-still. They were not being repelled by the Earth Kingdom, but nor were they taking control of the city.

All in all, it was incredibly horribly boring. He should have realized that the boredom wouldn't last long, though.

Lu Ten sighed, not seeing any sign of life. The corpses were horribly charred and crushed - a grisly sight, but one that he was used to. Most of them were buried under a fine layer of scorched metal shrapnel. Just as he was about to turn around, and head back to the camp, he saw a bit of movement.

At first, he thought it was just a trick of the light - no one had survived before, so why would they now? But then the person moved, and amazingly tried to get up, before falling back down.

She - Lu Ten assumed it was a she, from her well-groomed long hair, which was an oddity of Earth Kingdom merchant males- was laying face down, and seemed to still be breathing. So, thus, Lu Ten was left with a decision. Should he bring back the survivor to camp, where they could interrogate her? Though, what vital information would they be able to extract from a mere merchant?

Or he could leave them there, and not condemn them to the hell that they would most likely be put through.. But if anyone at the camp got word that he had let an enemy go, out of the kindness of his heart, he would be ridiculed, and in much trouble.

So he had to bring her back to the camp, he decided. Carefully making his way over the warped metal, he grimaced at the state her clothes were in.. They looked burnt in places, and pieces of metal seemed to have imbedded themselves in one of her arms and legs - judging from the smoking holes, and small amount of blood that stained the green cloth.

Lu Ten attempted to hoist her over his shoulder to no avail - she was heavier than she looked. He ended up laying her back down, realizing he should make sure none of her injuries were fatal first. Her glossy dark colored hair was draped across her face, and he pulled it away, to check if she had managed to get harmed there.

Lu Ten spent a few seconds staring at her face, before realising something that then seemed to be horribly obvious.

It wasn't a girl at all. Looking down at her- his chest, the firebender realised that he should have thought he was a male earlier, as he completely lacked any vaguely female parts, from what he could see.

Glancing back up at the injured man's face, he could pick out slight masculine traits, that somehow looked off, and yet right with the long hair.

Berating himself for being so clueless, he attempted to pick up the slightly-younger looking male again, trying to figure out how he would be able to carry him back to camp without furthering his injuries. Sighing, Lu Ten realised that the only way he could carry him was in his arms. As he picked up the other man, it occured to him that this looked very... odd, and a light blush crept over his face.

"Now is no time for childish qualms," he muttered to himself, attempting to reassure that he was no child. He was a soldier - well, not technically, but his father had wanted him here for war-front experience - and he should act like it. Readjusting his hold on the prisoner, Lu Ten set off for the long and annoying trek back to camp.

All this time was spent wondering what he would say- the phrase "Look what I found, father, can I keep it?" popped into his mind, and he grimaced at it- and what would happen to his current luggage.

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So, what are your opinions on this? 3 Feedback is welcome. o3o 


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